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A relatively short-but-bulky fighter, the Crossfire had a shorter length than previous Incom designed fighters such as the Z-95 Headhunter, the T-65 X-wing starfighter, and the more-recent X-83 TwinTail starfighter. Although it shares an indirect design lineage with the X-wing, the Crossfire is noticeably different in its configuration, with its four S-foils in front of a bulky fuselage rather than on its sides. The back S-foil could rotate, folding away for landing and dropping down for combat to form a cross-shaped configuration; this wing was particularly thin so that it would not obstruct the pilot's forward view. In attack position, the wing mounted laser cannons fired in an intersecting cross pattern, giving them longer reach than most starfighter based weapons.

The pilot controlled the fighter from an enclosed cockpit module in the rear of ship which was entirely sealed off from the rest of the vessel and also contained its sublight drive. In case of being shot down or some other emergency, the pilot would eject by disengaging the module from the rest of the fighter and use the sublight drive to steer towards safety. While cramped, the cockpit module was big enough for two beings, with a second seat facing the modules rearward for an optional gunner, who would control the rear-mounted laser cannons, in a configuration similar to the Snowspeeders the Rebel Alliance used on Hoth. However, because of the limited firing arc of the back guns, and because the craft was prone to executing high speed maneuvers in combat, thus giving the gunner limited opportunities to fire back at pursuing craft, Crossfires very rarely had gunners assigned to them.[1]

The Crossfire was designed primarily to fly long distances to reach its target, inflict maximum damage, and return home in one piece. For this, it followed the Incom ideology of being perfectly balanced between speed, maneuverability, durability and firepower. Compared to its opposite number, the Predator-class fighter, it was slightly less maneuverable but had better shields and armor, and as such it has become infamous and loved among GA pilots for its ability to take a punch and still fly. Its capabilities also made it an effective interceptor, as it was often used to ward off enemy fighters from friendly capital ships or bases.[1]

Up to its dissolution after the Battle of Caamas, the Crossfire had been the primary starfighter of the Galactic Alliance, and seven years later, Admiral Gar Stazi's Galactic Alliance Remnant continued to use it in hit-and-run operations against the Sith controlled Galactic Empire. It is especially notable as being the choice starfighter of the legendary Rogue Squadron, filling in the position that was once held by its ancestor, the X-wing. The Rogues made effective use of the Crossfire during the Battle of Mon Calamari, managing to hold off Imperial fighters long enough for the GA forces to withdraw after they captured the Star Destroyer Imperious.